Thursday, July 28, 2011

Boston's Hubway - Zipcar like rentals for bikes!

I love to bike.. I rarely bring it into the city on the commuter rail due to space and the commuter rails rules of no full-size bikes during rush hours.

Today, Mayor Menino launched a bike-share program called The Hubway which in its initial phase introduces 600 shared bikes to the city. I signed up for an annual membership after seeing the Mayor kickoff the program. I then had to wait for a key-fob to be mailed to me -- I couldn't wait, later today I decided to pay the 5$ 24hour fee and take a bike for a spin. Using a credit card, the process was pretty quick and painless.. Hopped on a bike and headed to my destination.

The biggest question in this programs infancy, is will there be a bike in the area you need it -- and will there be an empty 'dock' spot where you are going. The other catch is will I always have my helmet with me whenever I want to hop on a bike?

There is a useful SpotCycle app that is useful for looking at how many bikes are available and how many empty spots are around where you are heading!

Check it out, thehubway.com. Spend the 5$ and give it a try! If there are no stations yet around where you live/work, you can suggest them for a future phase!

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Seamunkey Splashes


here she swims -- in Gloucester's Southeast harbor

After working on the hull and outboard for the majority of the spring, today was a very rewarding day in the books! Next year, hope to be in before fiesta and the fourth--

Last year I had her in the harbor half a month earlier, but there was minimal effort to get her ready for the summer season...